April 29: Inaugural lecture

Prasad to present inaugural lecture as College of Engineering Alumni Distinguished Professor

8:27 a.m., April 14, 2014--Ajay Prasad, who has been named College of Engineering Alumni Distinguished Professor at the University of Delaware, will deliver his inaugural lecture at 4 p.m., Tuesday, April 29, in 120 Smith Hall.

Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by emailing zatto@udel.edu.

Prasad joined the UD faculty in 1992. He is known for his role in developing clean energy technologies and programs at the University that address the nation’s energy needs.

As director of the University’s Center for Fuel Cell Research, he coordinates the efforts of UD faculty members and companies working to make fuel cell components and systems cheaper and more durable for large-scale manufacturing and implementation.

He also directs UD’s Fuel Cell Bus Program, which currently operates two 22-foot hydrogen fuel cell powered transit buses on campus. In this role, he is leading efforts to improve Delaware’s hydrogen infrastructure activities.

His other research interests include energy-efficient buildings, wind and ocean current energy and vehicle-to-grid technology.

An internationally recognized scholar, Prasad is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a member of the American Physical Society and the American Society of Engineering Education.

He serves on the University of Delaware Energy Institute’s Council of Fellows and the Steering Committee of the Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration, and chairs the UD-Gamesa Wind Consortium Research Committee.

Prasad is an executive committee member for the Delaware Center for Transportation, the research arm of the Delaware Department of Transportation, and he serves on the city of Newark's Conservation Advisory Commission and the state of Delaware’s Green and Better Building Advisory Committee.

The author of more than 100 journal papers and book chapters, he holds five patents.

Prasad earned his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, specializing in experimental fluid mechanics and heat transfer. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before joining UD.

About the professorship

Established in 2007 by more than 50 UD alumni and their employers, the College of Engineering Alumni Professorship endowment assists the college in attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent in engineering education and research. Prasad is the second College of Engineering faculty member to be named an alumni professor.